All Discussions Tagged 'the' - Home Energy Pros2015-03-03T20:50:35Zhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/group/bpi/forum/topic/listForTag?groupUrl=bpi&tag=the&feed=yes&xn_auth=noJune's Stump the Chump: What's Wrong with this Picture?tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2013-06-13:6069565:Topic:1207272013-06-13T21:06:08.925ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p><a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_june_2013.aspx" target="_blank">Come check out BPI's monthly newsletter, Performance Matters!</a></p>
<p>The image below was taken by Matt Schwoegler, a thermographer and infrared instructor with the Snell Group. Matt was on location in Vermont, helping to train a weatherization crew from the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) which was already working on the home. The room in question was used by the homeowner as a three-season…</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_june_2013.aspx" target="_blank">Come check out BPI's monthly newsletter, Performance Matters!</a></p>
<p>The image below was taken by Matt Schwoegler, a thermographer and infrared instructor with the Snell Group. Matt was on location in Vermont, helping to train a weatherization crew from the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) which was already working on the home. The room in question was used by the homeowner as a three-season porch/bedroom. Matt explains that this portion of the home appeared to be an addition to the original structure, and was likely moved to the home's location where it was connected to the main house.</p>
<p>During the infrared training and building inspection, which was taking place in warm weather conditions, Matt found what appeared to be an insulation level on the wall in this room. While the ceiling appeared to be uninsulated, what was happening with the wall was not as clear.</p>
<p>So, what's wrong with this picture?</p>
<div class="newsArticleImage"><img alt="" src="https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs124/1101130315556/img/736.jpg"/></div> April's Stump the Chump!tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2013-04-25:6069565:Topic:1151852013-04-25T21:23:41.987ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p>During a recent evaluation of a newly constructed multifamily building, <b>Jerritt Gluck of <a href="http://www.bondedbuilding.com/">Bonded Building and Engineering</a> in Oyster Bay, NY</b>, encountered a classic case of stack effect, or so he thought.</p>
<p>The developer of the $30 million + multifamily construction project looking for LEED certification was in trouble, so they engaged BB&amp;E to perform an ASTM 779-10 test of the building as part of the LEED certification…</p>
<p>During a recent evaluation of a newly constructed multifamily building, <b>Jerritt Gluck of <a href="http://www.bondedbuilding.com/">Bonded Building and Engineering</a> in Oyster Bay, NY</b>, encountered a classic case of stack effect, or so he thought.</p>
<p>The developer of the $30 million + multifamily construction project looking for LEED certification was in trouble, so they engaged BB&amp;E to perform an ASTM 779-10 test of the building as part of the LEED certification process.</p>
<p>ASTM 779-10 tests are performed on individual apartments with the adjacent apartments open to outdoors. The point of the test is to measure unit inter-connectivity. Blower door tests are performed on all corner apartments plus a random 20 percent of those remaining. If they all pass then it can be assumed the rest of the apartments would also pass. Should any one apartment fail, an additional apartment must be added (per each failure) until at least 90 percent of the tested units pass.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_april_2013.aspx#stumper" target="_blank">Click here to read the rest, and see if you can come up with the right answer!</a></p> Stump the Chump - March 2013tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2013-03-26:6069565:Topic:1120102013-03-26T13:57:03.249ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p>This month's stump the chump comes from a mystery contributor, a caped crusading building performance specialist from Burlington, Vermont.</p>
<p>During a recent job, the crusader was reminded of a stumper he encountered in the late 1990's.</p>
<p>The homeowners of a 19th century duplex were in trouble; victims of uncomfortable rooms and high energy bills. With their patience wearing thin, they called in the local home performance hero to upgrade the shell of their home. The scope of work…</p>
<p>This month's stump the chump comes from a mystery contributor, a caped crusading building performance specialist from Burlington, Vermont.</p>
<p>During a recent job, the crusader was reminded of a stumper he encountered in the late 1990's.</p>
<p>The homeowners of a 19th century duplex were in trouble; victims of uncomfortable rooms and high energy bills. With their patience wearing thin, they called in the local home performance hero to upgrade the shell of their home. The scope of work included significant infiltration reduction; upgrading thin rockwool attic insulation to R40; dense-packing 2x6 finished slanted ceilings with cellulose; dense-packing 2x4 exterior walls with cellulose; dense-packing the perimeter of the 2nd floor framing system with cellulose; R19 bandjoist insulation; and a few other minor things.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_march_2013.aspx#stumper" target="_blank">Click here to read more.</a></p> Can you solve this month's stumper?tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2013-02-21:6069565:Topic:1056882013-02-21T19:06:11.215ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p>Here is your chance!</p>
<p>Thanks to <b>Bo Jespersen, President of <a href="http://www.thebreathablehome.com/">The Breathable Home</a> in Manchester, Maine</b> for contributing February's home performance head scratcher.</p>
<p>Bo was stumped after his company was hired to install some spray foam insulation in a second story bedroom side attic.</p>
<p>When Bo arrived, he noticed that the work was exclusively on the north slope of the home, and that the owner had installed three layers of 2"…</p>
<p>Here is your chance!</p>
<p>Thanks to <b>Bo Jespersen, President of <a href="http://www.thebreathablehome.com/">The Breathable Home</a> in Manchester, Maine</b> for contributing February's home performance head scratcher.</p>
<p>Bo was stumped after his company was hired to install some spray foam insulation in a second story bedroom side attic.</p>
<p>When Bo arrived, he noticed that the work was exclusively on the north slope of the home, and that the owner had installed three layers of 2" thick rigid foam in-between the rafters, and applied one-part spray foam along the edges (where some stuffed fiberglass was found as well). A small air channel was left between the top of the foam and the bottom of the roof sheathing. The ridge beam was exposed and required ending the rigid foam to the southern slope to make it air tight.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_february_2013.aspx#stumper" target="_blank">Keep reading...</a></p> BPI's October Stump the Chump!tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2012-10-19:6069565:Topic:967802012-10-19T17:46:38.589ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in <a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_october_2012.aspx" target="_blank">BPI's October Performance Matters e-Newsletter.</a></em></p>
<p>This month's stumper comes from a chump who's actually stumped! <b>Ed Revers of <a href="http://www.mtrarchitects.com/">Michell Timperman Ritz Architects</a> in New Albany, Indiana</b> has been scratching his head about this one and is wondering if you can help.</p>
<p>Ed explains that he has been working on a 50 year…</p>
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in <a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_october_2012.aspx" target="_blank">BPI's October Performance Matters e-Newsletter.</a></em></p>
<p>This month's stumper comes from a chump who's actually stumped! <b>Ed Revers of <a href="http://www.mtrarchitects.com/">Michell Timperman Ritz Architects</a> in New Albany, Indiana</b> has been scratching his head about this one and is wondering if you can help.</p>
<p>Ed explains that he has been working on a 50 year old house that has a four ton top-of-the-line Florida Heat pump system, with all the energy saving bells and whistles (hot water de-super heater, four-zone stats on Arzel control board, etc). After 2 years of utility bills, the energy savings are nowhere near what the geothermal manufacturers claim they should be. The new energy bills (gas and electric combined) are the same as the past 20 years, during which an old forced-air conventional gas furnace was used. The mechanical contractor has come out several times to check things and reports that it is working fine. The house was super-insulated when the new geothermal system was made operational. It isn't easy to compare old to new systems equally, because an addition of about 25 percent was added to the house when the new system was installed.</p>
<p>Background: The house is in the Louisville, Kentucky area and is now a 2850 sq. ft. ranch with a basement. Mechanical installation costs exceeded $30K, with four grouted wells at 150' depth each. At the recommendation of the mechanical contractor, the house was zoned because the existing house limited duct work configuration options and R-values weren't equal everywhere. The new system performs well (70 in the summer and 68 in the winter), but the energy savings are disappointing. The weather has actually been pretty mild the past few years too. As a newly accredited BPI Building Analyst, Ed considers the house to be tight and well insulated; although no blower door test or duct efficiency test has been performed to verify this. Gas and electric usage is probably below average for a family of four. Any clue as to what would help lower the utility bills and make the system less expensive to operate?</p> BPI's August Stump the Chump!tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2012-08-14:6069565:Topic:909972012-08-14T17:23:31.574ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in <a href="http://bpi.org/news_pm_august_2012.aspx" target="_blank">BPI's August Performance Matters e-Newsletter.</a></em></p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/UAWGUe-OfSTbJniweD-gMVJBQModc4iG-ZxK4hGuqeUCawVI5QsK3fMeXtjXk2JtLRI0DVb0LRDQCx1VxCkzWrDWtRqLtQEr/STCImage812.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/UAWGUe-OfSTbJniweD-gMVJBQModc4iG-ZxK4hGuqeUCawVI5QsK3fMeXtjXk2JtLRI0DVb0LRDQCx1VxCkzWrDWtRqLtQEr/STCImage812.jpg?width=750" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>For this month's stumper, <b>Ham Niles of <a href="http://www.evergreenyourhome.com/">Evergreen Home Performance</a></b> provided this…</p>
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in <a href="http://bpi.org/news_pm_august_2012.aspx" target="_blank">BPI's August Performance Matters e-Newsletter.</a></em></p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/UAWGUe-OfSTbJniweD-gMVJBQModc4iG-ZxK4hGuqeUCawVI5QsK3fMeXtjXk2JtLRI0DVb0LRDQCx1VxCkzWrDWtRqLtQEr/STCImage812.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/UAWGUe-OfSTbJniweD-gMVJBQModc4iG-ZxK4hGuqeUCawVI5QsK3fMeXtjXk2JtLRI0DVb0LRDQCx1VxCkzWrDWtRqLtQEr/STCImage812.jpg?width=750" width="750"/></a></p>
<p>For this month's stumper, <b>Ham Niles of <a href="http://www.evergreenyourhome.com/">Evergreen Home Performance</a></b> provided this story about the home of a retired anesthesiologist and his wife in Maine.</p>
<p>"The couple lived in a home less than 20 years old. They had a tight house, solar hot water, under-floor heat, efficient windows, modern electric appliances for laundry, dishes and cooking, and a backup generator with a block heater and battery charger for when the power goes out, which it does frequently in this town on the coast of Maine.</p>
<p>The homeowners complained that there was high electrical usage that seemed out of proportion with their habits - as though they had a hot tub or AC running all the time.</p>
<p>We evaluated the house top-to-bottom, and found plenty of load - thirteen 90 watt can lights; several pumps for the under-floor heat; various phantom loads associated with printers, Tivos and a security system; but nothing that added up to the 12000 kWh the client was annually seeing. I recalled a story my boss told me about how to use the IR camera – and that led to directly solving the problem. What was it?"</p>
<p><i>Hint: Infrared of back-up generator (top left) and infrared of circuit breaker (top right).</i></p> BPI's July Stump the Chump: What's Wrong with this Picture?tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2012-07-13:6069565:Topic:890452012-07-13T17:57:16.963ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p>The infrared image below (left) was taken by <b>Jerritt Gluck</b> of <b><a href="http://www.bondedbuilding.com/">Bonded Building &amp; Engineering</a></b>. The concrete slab (right) had recently been drilled by a steel contractor, after which the following occurred. What is wrong with this picture, and what's the solution? What steps should the contractor and installation crew have taken to avoid this?…</p>
<p></p>
<p>The infrared image below (left) was taken by <b>Jerritt Gluck</b> of <b><a href="http://www.bondedbuilding.com/">Bonded Building &amp; Engineering</a></b>. The concrete slab (right) had recently been drilled by a steel contractor, after which the following occurred. What is wrong with this picture, and what's the solution? What steps should the contractor and installation crew have taken to avoid this?</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/ybaGuFhqqOoRH84DcEE2fDBN9GppdydMGvn4fU2IebRSXIo2FmLnbTWVEwnNIGTm3ocNcL8X3P8Gicukc5rctY7*m6PdPG4e/465.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/ybaGuFhqqOoRH84DcEE2fDBN9GppdydMGvn4fU2IebRSXIo2FmLnbTWVEwnNIGTm3ocNcL8X3P8Gicukc5rctY7*m6PdPG4e/465.jpg" width="471"/></a></p> BPI's June Stump the Chump!tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2012-06-18:6069565:Topic:874542012-06-18T14:59:23.461ZMike Kandelhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/MikeKandel
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in <a href="http://bpi.org/news_pm_june_2012.aspx" target="_blank">BPI's June Performance Matters e-Newsletter</a>.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks to <b>Ken Tohinaka of the <a href="http://www.veic.org/index.aspx">Vermont Energy Investment Corporation</a> in Burlington, Vermont</b> for this month's stumper!</p>
<p>A technical school near the Canadian border suffered from massive ice dam problems. Of the six entrances/exits (two along each length, one along…</p>
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in <a href="http://bpi.org/news_pm_june_2012.aspx" target="_blank">BPI's June Performance Matters e-Newsletter</a>.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks to <b>Ken Tohinaka of the <a href="http://www.veic.org/index.aspx">Vermont Energy Investment Corporation</a> in Burlington, Vermont</b> for this month's stumper!</p>
<p>A technical school near the Canadian border suffered from massive ice dam problems. Of the six entrances/exits (two along each length, one along each width), only the South side entrance/exit was usable during the winter (it was protected by its own gable roof). The others were too dangerous to use due to falling ice and/or ice from the roof blocking the doors. Students often were deployed to remove the ice above the doors with hatchets. The problem was on all sides, but some thought it was worse on the West and South sides.</p>
<p>The main building was a two-story structure housing classrooms and administrative offices. The one-story shed-roof addition on the West side held an automotive shop and a wood-working shop. There was another wood-working shop on the East side, in another one-story shed-roof addition. The attic spaces above the dropped ceilings in the shops were open to the attic of the primary building due to their shed roofs and high ceilings. The building was considered energy efficient in that it had a Trombe wall (extending past the upper ceiling plane) on the South side. The school energy committee was interested in two questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>Would a bio-mass boiler make the building more efficient?</li>
<li>Would more insulation make the building more efficient, and reduce the ice-dam problem?</li>
</ul>
<p>An investigation by two experienced hands, equipped only with flashlights, showed why there were massive ice dams, and why a bio-mass boiler and more insulation wouldn't make the building more energy efficient.</p>
<p>What's the answer to this trick(y) scenario, and the solution to the ice dams problem?</p>
<div class="newsArticleFooterText"><a href="http://www.arronco.com/"><img class="newsArticleFooterLogo" border="0" alt="" src="http://portal.mxlogic.com/images/transparent.gif"/></a></div> BPI's May Stump the Chump: What’s Wrong with this Picture?tag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2012-05-15:6069565:Topic:845652012-05-15T14:10:56.933ZLeslie McDowell, BPIhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/LeslieMcDowell
<div class="newsArticleBody"><p>The infrared image below was taken by John Snell of The Snell Group. The structure had recently been insulated with blown in cellulose. What is wrong with this picture, and what's the solution? What steps should the contractor and installation crew have taken to avoid this?</p>
<div class="newsArticleImage"><img alt="" src="https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs015/1101130315556/img/430.jpg"></img></div>
<div class="newsArticleFooterText"><span class="font-size-1">Photo Courtesy of The Snell Group…</span></div>
</div>
<div class="newsArticleBody"><p>The infrared image below was taken by John Snell of The Snell Group. The structure had recently been insulated with blown in cellulose. What is wrong with this picture, and what's the solution? What steps should the contractor and installation crew have taken to avoid this?</p>
<div class="newsArticleImage"><img alt="" src="https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs015/1101130315556/img/430.jpg"/></div>
<div class="newsArticleFooterText"><span class="font-size-1">Photo Courtesy of The Snell Group</span></div>
</div>
<div class="newsArticleFooterText"><a href="http://www.arronco.com/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://portal.mxlogic.com/images/transparent.gif" class="newsArticleFooterLogo"/></a><p><i><br/></i></p>
</div> BPI's February Stump the Chumptag:homeenergypros.lbl.gov,2012-02-14:6069565:Topic:772412012-02-14T22:59:25.057ZCierra Mooneyhttp://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profile/CierraMooney
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in BPI's <a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_february_2012.aspx" target="_blank">February Performance Matters e-Newsletter</a>:</em></p>
<p>Homeowners of a two story balloon frame home located in Watertown, NY wanted to eliminate ice damming on their roof. An insulation company was called in during the summer for recommendations and possibly to provide retrofit work. While there, the company discovered the entire home was un-insulated. The company…</p>
<p><em>The following stumper is presented in BPI's <a href="http://www.bpi.org/news_pm_february_2012.aspx" target="_blank">February Performance Matters e-Newsletter</a>:</em></p>
<p>Homeowners of a two story balloon frame home located in Watertown, NY wanted to eliminate ice damming on their roof. An insulation company was called in during the summer for recommendations and possibly to provide retrofit work. While there, the company discovered the entire home was un-insulated. The company proposed a comprehensive work scope, but the homeowners wouldn't bite – they agreed to pay for just one measure. This was to air seal and insulate the attic floor (the cavity between the 2nd floor ceiling and attic floor) with dense pack cellulose. During the next winter, the ice damming continued on the roof as with previous winters with equal snow fall. Both floors of the home were heated and had a semi-conditioned full basement.</p>
<p><b>Question:</b> Why were ice dams continuing to form on the roof after air sealing and insulating the attic floor?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Think you know the answer?</p>
<p><i>Figure out what is going wrong with the house, write it up along with your prescribed solution, and share your wisdom by posting your answer right here in our comments section. You can also send it to us at <a href="mailto:lmcdowell@bpi.org">lmcdowell@bpi.org</a>. If you’re the first person to get the right answer, we’ll feature you, your company and your answer in the next issue of Performance Matters!</i></p>